After frustrations with the original concept, my mix tape evolved into “Tunes for Traveling.” As you may have surmised, this was basically a roadtrip CD. I decided I wanted to make just such a tape for summer vacations. My friends and I pile into a car and drive somewhere at least once a summer, and these tracks were meant to capture and enhance that feeling.
It turns out making a good mix tape is far more difficult than just tossing songs onto a CD. I was frustrated several times when I finally admitted to myself a few songs just weren’t going to make the cut. Some rubbed against the theme, others just didn’t have quite the right feel (since I had to buy most of them ahead of time in order to figure out where they fit I was even more reluctant to toss them out). Anyway, I wasn’t exactly satisfied with the order/contents of my final product. I think I needed a team of music experts to assemble the perfect list of driving songs. During my meager existence I feel like I haven’t had the proper exposure or time to specialize in any such mix. I was also irritated with my tools. I kept trying to fix the fade and overlap between songs, and in the end the CD burned differently than the playlist suggested on my computer. Photoshop further annoyed me as I worked on the cover. The booklet was tricky too; figuring out how to do it on the computer proved too much. Even after the simple cutting and pasting I was still faced with a stapler that couldn’t reach far enough to put the staples in the right places!
The plan was to try making my mix tape as much like a tape as possible. I decided to create an A- and B-Side, with a switch-up in between to cement the change. The A-Side was meant to represent the excitement and potential for adventure of the ride out. The B-Side was meant for the more reflective, slow ride home. I was frustrated that I couldn’t balance out the two sides like on a real mix tape (I just couldn’t find enough that I liked for the B-Side). I also tried to make the liner notes look a little more like an actual mix tape, writing some of it by hand. I think some of my liner notes came close to what I was hoping to do; there are jokes that anyone outside of Hortonville would miss.
Don’t get me wrong, the mix tape has been my favorite project so far. The thing is I’m a perfectionist when it comes to stuff I really like, as well as creative work like this one. While I have a hard time looking past a few things I would like to change now, other people have said they thought it turned out well. This project has inspired me to continue the process of creating mix tapes, although I think it will take longer in the future. Maybe someday I’ll perfect the techniques of transition and flow, then I can complain about kids and how nobody makes a good mix anymore.
1 comment:
That's quite a clever idea - making an A-side and a B-side (just like DJ SPOOKY).
Did you make this for anyone in particular - like any one friend you thought about when making this mixtape?
Wow - you really went all out for this project (in terms of making the booklet and struggling a lot with it). I consider myself "pretty good" in computer-related things, but making the booklet is BEYOND ME. So i didn't even attempt it, because i knew i had failed before i even started. So i admire you're valiant effort and it's clear from this EPIC tale, that you tried your best.
THIS WAS MY FAVORITE PROJECT AS WELL! :)
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